Dr. Mitra Ray Answers Your Questions

Dr. Mitra Ray, a successful PhD
biochemist, obtained her BS degree at
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York and her Ph.D. from Stanford University,
Palo Alto, California. Her research focused on cell biology, particularly as
it relates to cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and other degenerative diseases.
Dr. Ray published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
Science, and Journal of Cell Biology. Amongst her honors are Young
Investigators Award, Federation of American Societies for Experimental
Biology; recipient of grants from the National Institutes of Health and the
American Cancer Society.

Isn't Juice Plus+ just another vitamin?

Juice Plus+ is whole food nutrition. It is simply juiced, dried and encapsulated fruits and
vegetables in the ratios of nutrition that nature intended. Vitamins are man-made chemicals that are often way
off from the balance of nature, and do not have the natural synergistic effect of nature's food. You are better off
eating healthy and taking Juice Plus+, than trying to compensate for a poor diet with isolated, man-made
chemicals.

How do I take Juice Plus+?

There are plenty myths floating around out there about Juice Plus+. I have prepared a special
report on the correct way to take your Juice Plus+. You can listen to the report or read a transcript of it
here.

How safe is Juice Plus+?

I’ve given lectures on the safety of Juice Plus+ and answered other health questions about this
product. You can listen to my lecture or read the transcript here.

How many fruits and veggie servings are in each capsule?

The product was compared to juicing early on, and it took over a pint of fresh juice made from the
same 7 fruits, and another pint of juice made from the same 8 veggies, to get the nutrient equivalent of Juice
Plus+. That brochure is not used anymore because the technology used to make the product has been improved at
least twice since then and so the data would be better, but different (therefore, not scientifically accurate).
They chose not to reproduce that same result as they have now moved into efficacy trials – that is “Does the
product work in the body?” – this is beyond just showing what’s in it.

What are the added nutrients in Juice Plus+ when plant sources cannot be used?

Plant sources are always used, just not always the WHOLE plant. Sometimes concentrated amounts of
a particular plant nutrient is added purely for the sake of consistency on the labels but this amount is
negligible with respect to the rest of the plant powders used.

Is Juice Plus+ vegan and organic?

Besides the gelatin capsules, the content is vegan. The company has been investing in a vegan
capsule for some time now and currently, the technology either requires petroleum added to vegetarian capsules
or the capsules break too easily. They are very close and testing in Europe - stay tuned for vegan capsules.
Meanwhile, if you are a strict vegan, you can take the chewable form or pour the capsule contents into food to
consume. While not every crop of fruits or veggies that is used in JP+ is certified “organic,” rest assured that
the products are better than organic. Every batch is tested for the absence of every herbicide, pesticide, and
toxin known to man. It is about as pure as you can get. You can contact their encapsulation and testing facility
in San Marcos, Natural Alternatives, if you would like to schedule a tour for seeing the quality control behind
the product.

I am Vegan and wonder if Juice Plus+ has enough B-12?

B12 is not found in fruits and veggies. Some of the daily need comes from healthy bacteria making
it in our gut, when one is on a whole food, plant-based diet. I suggest 5 micrograms a day of a high-quality B12
supplement for strict vegans during pregnancy if you've been tested for deficiency. The rest of us don’t really
need a daily B12. Once in awhile might be a good idea. Juice Plus+ doesn’t have any B12 because it is made
entirely from fruits and vegetables. However, Juice Plus+ Complete does contain a good source of B12. This is
the only source of B12 that my family and I consume.

Why do you not list all of the vitamins and minerals in Juice Plus+?

Juice Plus+ is made from the juices of fresh fruits and vegetables, and contains all of the
vitamins and minerals present in the original juices. There are literally thousands of different vitamins and
phytonutrients in a single orange! This is in contrast to vitamin tablets that contain only a few vitamins in
fragmented, isolated, and unnatural ratios. Nowhere in nature will one find a food that has the vitamin content
of a vitamin pill. Bioavailability or synergistic effect found in fruits and vegetables is missing in vitamin
tablets. Such a comparison would be meaningless, and impossible.

Is Juice Plus+ gluten free?

NSA states that Juice Plus+ products are manufactured for NSA by contract manufacturers. These
products are regularly tested using the Tepnel ELISA methodology (AOAC method 991.19) for the presence of
gluten. After the recent formula change that replaced rice bran for barley bran, the results show they contain
less then 20 parts per million gluten. People who are gluten intolerant thrive on Juice Plus+.

Is Juice Plus+ alkaline to my system?

I have answered this question at length through a voice message, and posted this here on my
website. You can hear my message or read the transcript
here.

I have a hard time remembering to take my Juice Plus+ twice a day. Is it harmful to take it all
together or do I have to separate fruit, vegetable and vineyard capsules?

The most important thing to do is to take your Juice Plus+ …period. If you have to take it all at
once, with a glass of beer, then so be it! Now, that is not ideal, and ideally I recommend you take
your Juice Plus+ with 8 oz. of water, for every 2 capsules. Studies indicate that there is not much added
benefit to separating either the doses or the types. It's fine to eat the fruit, veggie, and vineyard together.

What are the natural flavors in Juice Plus+ Complete?

The natural flavors we use are truly natural flavors, mainly extracts of fruits. These are
proprietary blends made especially for us.

Is there too much soy in Juice Plus+ Complete?

With all the controversy over soy, NSA supports
this linkas
an objective look at it's safety. I think it is fine. Soy is neither an incredible health panacea nor is it
dangerous. All food, even broccoli can be bad for you if that is all you eat and there is no variety in your
diet. And Juice Plus+ Complete is such a good product and so many people have used for over 12 years now, that
I cannot believe that if there were any health challenges, we wouldn’t know by now. The only issue I ever had
with Complete is when a person is downright allergic to soy. Other than that, Juice Plus+ Complete should be
incorporated without hesitation into a person’s health regimen.

Is the soy in Juice Plus+ Complete safe to eat?

All soy used in Complete is non GMO and perfectly safe.

Why are magnesium stearate and calcium carbonate in Juice Plus+ powders? Do they need to be there?

I have received many questions about this and have given lectures on this topic. You can listen to
my voice message or read the transcript
here.

Doesn't the process of "processing" the fruits and veggies destroy the nutrients?

In the making Juice Plus+, an extremely temperature-sensitive proprietary process is used to
evaporate the water from the juice mix such that heat-sensitive nutrients retain their biochemical activity –
the process of going from wet to dry occurs in a matter of seconds! Thus when you take Juice Plus with water,
you reconstitute real food with active, bio-available nutrients. We know this to be true because more than a
dozen independent studies published in peer-reviewed journals have shown the incredible response that Juice
Plus+ has in the body to improve the status of various systems, such as the immune system and DNA repair
mechanisms.

Is Juice Plus+ fortified?

I have answered this question about Juice Plus+ and fortified foods at length in a lecture that I
have posted here on my site. You can listen to it or read the transcript by clicking
here.

How is the sugar removed from Juice Plus+?

Technically, sugar is not purposefully removed from Juice Plus+ . However, the bottom line is
that the daily ration of four Juice Plus+ capsules contain less than 1 gram of residual sugar, which represents
less than 4 calories. This is insignificant from the glycemic standpoint, and also insignificant even in the
most restrictive of diabetic diets. The process of sugar removal we have talked about in the past is basically a
simplification of the proprietary process to reduce the stickiness of the powdered juices, which causes the
sugars to be bound by the more complex carbohydrates. This technique decreases the “water-loving” nature of the
powder, and improves flowability in the encapsulation process. An added advantage is that this process allows us
to retain some of the soluble and insoluble fiber from the fruits, vegetables and berries which also contributes
to the benefits of Juice Plus+.

Why is there so much sugar in Juice Plus+ Gummies?

The amount of sugar in a day's worth of gummies is about the same or less than a glass of orange
juice or milk. The reason it is the first ingredient is because the molecular weight of sugar is so high
compared to the nutrients. It is not a calorie dense food and so the "first ingredient being sugar" is not a
good litmus test for judging the product. What is in the gummies is the disease-fighting micronutrition of 17
fruits and veggies, and they have been tested for bioavailability as well.

How does taking Juice Plus+ contribute to my nutrition and fitness?

I have posted a 2 part series in answer to this popular question, available here on my website.
You can listen or read the transcript here.

How does Juice Plus+ affect my body's detoxification process?

There is a voice message on this popular topic here on my website. You can listen to
the message or read the transcript
here.

Will Juice Plus+ interfere with my blood thinner?

Eating a whole food plant based diet is the best way to protect your chances of preventing
thrombosis and embolisms (fancy words for formation and migration of blood clots).

Coumadin is marketed as an anticoagulant to prevent thrombosis and embolisms (also sold under brand
names Warfarin, Jantoven and Waran). Like most pharmaceuticals, it is a synthetic derivative of courmarin which
is naturally found in plants. They were developed as a way to kill rats and mice and still used for this
purpose. Since the 50’s, they have also been prescribed as anticoagulants, provided a patient is monitored with
frequent blood testing to make sure that the dosage of this poison is within “safe limits,” and the patient is
also avoiding foods high in Vitamin K, and many other medications which interfere with these anticoagulants.

Patients are usually asked to not eat leafy greens such as spinach because of high vitamin K content, and
because if one day they have spinach and the next day they don’t, their blood thinner dose would have to be
monitored daily.

Because a person would be taking the same amount of Juice Plus everyday and therefore get a
consistent amount of vitamin K in their diet, it is usually the case that a person can safely take Juice Plus
with these blood thinners.

Fortunately, those patients who are so motivated will often eliminate taking blood thinners since improving
circulation through all three blends of Juice Plus (orchard, garden and vineyard) might be a more
intelligent answer to the challenge at hand.

Remember that we cannot play doctor and we can only help those that are willing to look at the
information and be in charge of their own health. So this information is for those few people – make
sure you ask first if they are willing to take a closer look at what they are choosing to do before sharing this
information. Ask questions before you jump to giving people answers they aren’t looking for.

We have many Juice Plus+ customers who take Coumadin. People who take Coumadin are asked to
keep their intake of vitamin K consistent (The information sheet the patient gets with their Coumadin has a
section entitled “Information For Patients”, and it states “Eat a normal, balanced diet maintaining a consistent
amount of vitamin K”). You can also look at the following link from the
National Institutes of Health.

Please notice that the goal is to keep the intake of vitamin K consistent, not to eliminate it
completely from the diet. Two capsules of the Garden Blend contain approximately 10 micrograms of Vitamin K.
Orchard and Vineyard Blend do not contain any measurable amounts of it. A serving of Complete contains 20
micrograms of Vitamin K. We recommend our customers to discuss these numbers and facts with their doctor or
pharmacist before starting on Juice Plus+.

Another link to good information on Warfarin blood thinners from
WebMD.

Our intent here is not to contradict any doctor’s orders, but for patients to have some facts
to discuss with their doctors to make a more informed decision about Juice Plus+ and the rest of their diet.

Can Juice Plus+ help with Multiple Sclerosis?

MS is an autoimmune challenge that Juice Plus+ can make a difference with, in time. It may take
double the dosage, however, if the MS is severe. The immune study shows that B-cells become less hyperactive
with Juice Plus+, i.e. make fewer antibodies against the body itself, which is the problem with all autoimmune
disorders. Autoimmune disorders show up in different ways in different people, manifesting symptoms based on our
own unique genetic weaknesses. Instead of focusing on the name of the disease, if we can go back to the cause of
all autoimmune diseases – a trigger-happy immune system – then we do better. Juice Plus+ makes the immune
system less trigger-happy.

How would you explain the benefits of Juice Plus+ to someone who has Crohn's Disease?

Remember that it's a digestive disease, and since Juice Plus+ is bio-available, it does not need
to be digested. It is simply absorbed. This greatly increases the chance of getting nutrition into the system.
Work slowly up to an adult dosage, starting with taking 1 capsule of garden one day, orchard the next day and
vineyard the next day. After a week, try taking 2 garden one day, 2 orchard the next and 2 vineyard the next.
If tolerated, increase to 1 of each kind each day for a week, then 2 of each kind the next week. Eventually,
you can double the adult dosage of 2, 2 and 2 of each kind for faster healing.

My doctor told me to stop Juice Plus+ during Chemo.

Juice Plus+ is simply fruits and veggies. It is safe to eat fruits and veggies during Chemo.
Please read this
article on the subject.

The small amount of oxalic acid in certain fruits and veggies is not the issue – the body secreting
it from trying to compensate for the acidity of the modern diet is the issue. Taking Juice Plus+ and eating
more plants is the answer.

Here is a document on this topic, detailing the
impact that Juice Plus+ may have on the formation of kidney stones.

Does Juice Plus+ help Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

We don’t make claims to cure or even necessarily help any specific disease or problem that a person
may have. What is clear is that Juice Plus+ has been proven to strengthen the immune system, and both Epstein
Syndrome and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are immune related. People can live with the Epstein Barr Virus and never
show any signs of fatigue, lesions, weakness, sore muscles and so on. These people tend to have a stronger
immune system. It is important to let your folks know that if they don’t work on getting their body well through
health and wellness, they will still be trying to “treat” these conditions years from now. When someone has CFS,
they tend to continually “wear down” due to lack of proper rest. When your body isn’t given the proper fuel to
repair itself and replenish itself, this fatigue will remain a vicious cycle and rest will be hard to come by.

Can I eat extra Juice Plus+ when I am pregnant?

Yes, it is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself and your unborn baby. Please see
my article on Juice Plus+ and
Pregnancy which I've posted on my website.

Can I eat Juice Plus+ while nursing?

There is not a reason on earth to worry about Juice Plus+ and nursing. On the other hand, there
are a million and one reasons to take Juice Plus+ during nursing. Nursing is almost as critical as in-utero as
far as nutrition is concerned. When is nutrition not important? When would fruits and veggies be dangerous? The
baby is not going to become colicky because of Juice Plus+.

“Colic” is a term that doctors use when they can’t explain why babies are especially fussy, or in
extreme discomfort. Quite often, babies have an intolerance or allergy to a food like soy, dairy, or wheat. It’s
passed through the breast milk to the newborn, causing terrible pain or gas. Many pediatricians will chalk it up
to “colic,” and never think to have the nursing mother go on an elimination diet to see which foods upset her
baby. They’d rather try a prescription medication for the baby, or put the baby on formula.

One thing is certain: the fruits and vegetables in Juice Plus+ are extremely good for both the
nursing baby, and the mother.

It is also useful for nursing mothers to eat whole ground flax seeds in order to get some “good
fat” into her diet. Good fats and fruits and veggies make for the most nutritious breast milk.

What should I feed my baby after I wean him?

Please read my latest article on pregnancy and nutrition found on my website. Click
here to read the article. No
cow's milk. Goat milk is OK until they are 2 years old…but of course breast milk is the best option. Soy
formulas are better than other formulas with cow casein. Soy formulas are better than other formulas with cow
casein.

What is the ORAC value of Juice Plus+?

I have answered this question at length and posted my answer to this here on my website. You can
listen to the recording of the voice message or read the transcript by clicking
here.